Pregnant woman and man admit to using forged documents to flee Malta

Two individuals plead guilty to using counterfeit identity documents in an attempt to flee Malta amid heightened security for OSCE event

By: maltatoday.com

Dec 04 2024
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Pregnant woman and man admit

Two individuals have admitted to using forged documents to flee Malta for a better life in Belgium, after being arrested at the Malta International Airport during a temporary reintroduction of border control.

Police Inspector Karl Roberts gave a description of what happened to the Court. He explained that two individuals, Sarah Kebe, and Mouri Kuruma, were arrested on 4 December 2024 at around 5:40am at the Malta International Airport. This came after the temporary lifting of Schengen Area travel to ensure public order and security surrounding the 31st Ministerial Council of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Kebe and Kuruma were both arrested after they were caught using Gambian passports issued for other persons, and “completely counterfeit” Italian Identity Cards, as recalled by the police inspector.

They were subsequently taken to the nearest police station, where they admitted to the acts which they had done. Both of the accused individuals said that they wanted to flea Malta, with Kuruma mentioning that there was a language barrier since he only speaks French and is unable to understand Maltese.

The inspector said “they both wanted to flee Malta for a better life in Belgium” whilst describing what the accused said in their statements at the Police Station.

Upon being examined by the Court, both Kebe and Kuruma pleaded guilty, and upon the Court asking them a second and third time, they confirmed their pleas.

It was revealed by the prosecution that the woman, Kebe, was pregnant, however the inspector stated, “The law is equal to everyone, even though the woman is pregnant”.

He mentioned that there is a medical team at the Corradino Correctional Facility which is there to assist women who are pregnant whilst undergoing an imprisonment sentence. The prosecution was therefore of the opinion that there should be an effective jail sentence nonetheless.

This is an ongoing case and the accused individuals will be sentenced at a later date.

The prosecution was led by Inspector Karl Roberts.